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Cover
art for Optimum Releasing's 2006 release of Hammer's
On the Buses trilogy (On the Buses/Mutiny on the
Buses/Holiday on the Buses) |
dvd review
For many Hammer
fans the On the Buses films are the epitome of what
was wrong with Hammer in the 1970s. They mark a very
definite change of theme and direction for a company which
was best known for its horror films. The more considered
viewer can see the films for what they are - a return to the
practices of Hammer in the early 1950s - in a bid to make a
profit once again. During the late 1940s and early 1950s
Hammer regularly adapted popular BBC radio thrillers and
comedies for film. Precedents can be seen in the two Lyons
films directed by Val Guest for example. By the turn of the
decade Hammer had turned themselves over completely to
straight horror.
For this
critic at least On the Buses is a less offensive
production than the fun black-comedy that is the Horror
of Frankenstein. The latter picture is offensive because
Jimmy Sangster takes his own script for The Curse of
Frankenstein and transforms it into something with only
slight humour. A comedy Frankenstein would certainly
have been a good idea.
At any rate,
On the Buses tapped into a phenomenon - the tv series
ran for seven series from 1968 - 1973. Full of working class
life, (some say) crass humour, its like a descendant of the
saucy seaside postcard, Benny Hill and the Carry On
films. It presents us with cheeky chappies in the form of
Reg Varney's Stan Butler the bus driver, and his clippie
mate Jack (Bob Grant - who apparantly worked as a bus
conductor for real whilst studying at RADA) their constant
battle against the Hitler-esque conductor Blakey (Stephen
Lewis) and his attempts to thwart their skiving and endless
pursuit of crumpet. The show also lets us into Stan's home
life and his hideous family - mother, sister Olive and her
husband Arthur - in their tiny terraced house in London.
Certainly the
films probably have little appeal outside the UK and
Australia, but Hammer were on to a good thing. Hammer's
first adaptation was the most profitable British film of
1971. Its not hard to see why they made two more, and
embarked upon a whole slate of tv remakes. You already have
characters and setups familiar from the television, with a
potentially huge already made audience. Of course, this can
lead to confusion, but without having ever seen the tv
series I've never had any problem in following the escapades
of the films.
Having found
the trilogy hard to watch in the past I was astonished to
find myself warm to the series by the second feature and
with an inkling to watch the entire tv series. But then I
enjoy the likes of Benny Hill, Spike Milligan and had just
been working my way through the recent Up Pompeii dvd
when I started on this set. On the Buses is of its
time certainly, but not without its admirers and its charm.
Being completely un-PC is just part of that, and I have to
say I do rather relish that break from the norm.
The trilogy
has been released before - by Warner Home Video, and this is
a moreorless straight re-release. Possibly slightly better
images, but the same basic two disc, three film set.
On the
Buses opens with the iconic red double decker bus being
ridden through the streets on London whilst the title theme
belts out its licentious lyrics about all the sexual
shenanigans that go on during a day in the life of the
average bus worker. Quite how these men in their late 40s
ever get anything is beyond me, but heck, its escapism
(think Men Behaving Badly set in the 1970s) so we shouldn't
think about that. The title sequences always introduce us to
the anarchy involved and the cast of main characters and
power relationships. As the bus pulls into the depot we can
see Hammer contract-actress Caroline Munro in her previous
life as the Lambs Navy Rum girl on a huge billboard. The
film itself features the usual predicament of a new
over-zealous inspector attempting to reign in the roguish
drivers from their idle ways, stopping off for unscheduled
sex etc. This time round there's a shortage of staff and
women drivers are being roped in to make up numbers. Yes
folks imagine it indeed. Imagine plenty of innuendo and
behaviour that in today's world would have you up before a
tribunal for sexual discrimination as Stan and Jack set
about sabotaging the companies plans for the women drivers.
For my money
its the weakest film of the set actually - not quite as fun
or as filmic as the next two features, which break beyond
the local confines of the bus station.
I realise now
I actually watched the second and third films the wrong way
round in preparation for the review, which at least means
that the development of Olive's kid now makes sense!
Second outing
was Mutiny on the Buses which is I think actually the
best of the three films on offer. Its a little bit like
three tv episodes stuck together at times, but there is a
rhythm which works, and makes for convenient breaks when
viewing on the domestic format. Stan accidentally finds
himself engaged to fellow bus driver Suzy, to the horror of
the rest of the family who are depending on him for
financial support. After Arthur is sacked Stan agrees to
teach him how to drive a bus in order to secure a job.
It follows on
nicely from the big screen debut, with the women drivers now
equal with the men. Stan's domestic life is still a
nightmare with the family from hell, which now includes a
potty-training baby. The social realities of the 1970s are
here alongside the innuendo and nudging. Everything on the
HP, families crammed together in order to secure a living
space, with extended groups under one roof. Arthur this time
at least gets to join in the fun with his training as a
driver and his eventual work at the depot itself. The final
third involves a trial run with Stan and Blakey to the
exotic Windsor Safari Park which involves some playful
monkeys and a group of lions.
The abundance
of Pontins advertising on the buses themselves is brought to
its natural conclusion for the fun outings of the final in
the trilogy Holiday on the Buses. Stan and Jack loose
their jobs at the depot only to find themselves work as
drivers at a Pontins holiday camp. Of course Blakey has
ended up there too as security. There follows the usual
manic excitement, pursuit of women and sexual frissons. The
rest of the family once again act as a suitable explosive
element including the grim realist humour of repainting
lodgings, exploding toilets and a senior liason between
Stan's mum (Doris Hare) and (a delightful guest turn)
Wilfred Brambell.
It seems that
Blakey, Stan and Jack are forever to be drawn together and
that where they are, pandemonium will follow.
transfer
The transfers themselves are all perfectly fine in both
sound and picture. There's some print damage evident in
Holiday On the Buses, but otherwise all is good. On
the Buses is presented in a fullscreen ratio, whilst the
other two features are presented in a 16:9 anamorphic print
(which appears to slightly crop the image).
extras
Disappointingly Optimum haven't bothered sourcing any
extras at all for this disc. All the more disappointing
because the set has been available before (at least this one
has nicer packaging). Very basic scene selection only. It
does seem a shame that more couldn't have been done with
stills, posters, campaign books, and heck, why not a
documentary? Hammer comedy has never really been looked
into, and this set of films would have been as good as any.
So providing
you aren't too anal about political correctness, humour,
sexuality or anything else, this one might just be worth a
watch. And if you were a fan of the tv series, add this to
your collection.
